The One With Mistakes
by FredMischiefmanagedGeorge
Summary: "The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; the wise forgive but do not forget."-Thomas Szasz. Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition-Round 7


**A.N Hope you guys like it.**

**Team: Tutshill Tornadoes**

**Position: Chaser 3**

**Writing about: Ravenclaw's Diadem**

**Title: The One With Mistakes**

**Words: 2041**

**Prompts used: None given by Captain****  
**

**I don't feel the need to explain the prompts this round as they are pretty self explanatory. (This was from last round, but I thought it would be funny to keep here)**

**For those of you innocent people who stumble upon this one-shot and are unaware of my speaking of Quidditch, teams and nonsense, it is alright! This is for a sort of contest on a forum and nothing that you aren't allowed to read, so enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Characters and all other recognizable written words such as 'incendio' belong to J.K Rowling.**

* * *

_"The stupid neither forgive nor forget; the naive forgive and forget; _

_the wise forgive but do not forget."-Thomas Szasz**  
**_

* * *

"William-"

"No! No! Go away! I don't like you."

"Come on, Willie."

"No! I _hate_ you."

Rowena withdrew her hand, biting her lip. She was trying to get Willie away from the playground where he had run off to. The village knew that her family were witches and wizards. They had to leave.

"Please Willie." she cried out. "The villagers are coming. You _know_ what they do."

"I want mummy." William whimpered.

"Mummy's dead." Rowena told him, harshly. "It's her own fault too."

William's eyes watered, causing Rowena to instantly regret her words. It was true though. Their mother, Helena, had died at the stake not two days ago. Granted, she had not been a witch, but her husband and children were.

"Come on, Willie. We have to go." Rowena once again tried.

"No. I don't want to. You are mean!" William screeched. "You hate mummy. You hate her. You always have."

"William." Rowena said, firmly. "You are coming. Don't make me get father."

William glared at his older sister.

"I hate you." he spat.

* * *

The foolish memory. Rowena waved her wand over the diadem.

"_To help the wearer be rational in every step of the way._" Rowena spoke in latin.

* * *

"Dragon Pox?!" Rowena exclaimed. "But my brother is only fifteen. He has no one."

"He has you." the wizard healer said.

She was sitting in front of the Healers desk, tapping it nervously with her foot. Rowena's father was dying, and her brother was soon to be left alone with no one to care for him.

"William hates me." Rowena said, shaking her head. "He won't want to see me."

"I'm sure you're wrong." the healer told her, calmly.

"Well, if you're so 'sure', are you positive that there is no cure?" Rowena questioned, angrily.

"I'm afraid, Miss Ravenclaw, that there are no cures." the healer told her, seriously. "Very few have survived such an illness. It is unlikely your father will make it."

"Then research it!" Rowena yelled, standing up.

The light in the room flickered. Rowena was grasping the desk, her knuckles white. Much to her annoyance, the healer calmly stared back at her.

"Our healers are doing all they can, Miss." the healer sighed.

"Well they're not doing enough!" she told him, frustrated.

Then, she stalked towards the door.

"If this is about not wanting your brother-"

"This has _nothing_ to do with my brother!" Rowena shouted, whirling around.

The air in the room grew steadily colder, as the candlelight was no longer was present. Rowena was the only who had any heat, and not the literal kind. She was _fuming_! How dare he accuse _her_ of not wanting her brother.

Of course Rowena wanted her brother! She wanted to be the one cooking him breakfast every morning, or the one he trusted enough to tell her what girl he fancied. However, Rowena heard the whisper in her head speaking the truth she tried to dismiss.

_He hates you._

_He never wants to see you again._

_That's why you left. He told you those exact words._

Rowena felt her heart clench. She closed her eyes, before opening them. The cool blue stared at the healer, flashing with anger.

"You tell my father I said hello." she told him.

Then, she turned on the spot and apparated away.

* * *

The rash and reckless memory.

"_Let the wearer be considerate and reasonable._" Rowena whispered.

* * *

Rowena read the cold, hard stone that had written her father's fate. She knew what lied below it, only six feet under.

_Here lies Thomas Ravenclaw, aged fifty-two, a loving father, husband, and guardian._

Tears slipped down Rowena's cheeks as she stood. She read the words over and over and over again. Her father was dead. How could he be dead when she still remembered his lively smile, and the words her father had said in the hospital,

_"You don't worry about me, Rowena. I'm feeling better already. Willie needs you more than I ever will." he had said._

_As Rowena turned to go, her father stopped her._

_"Rowena," he called._

_She watched as her father cupped her cheek. Rowena leaned into it and closed her eyes, trying to fight away the tears._

_"Just remember: Doing what is right, is what is good. Doing what is good, is for the benefit of others."_

Rowena took a deep breath, and wrapped her cloak around her. She held her fingers to the grave, wishing she had brought flowers.

A warmth reached her fingers and she frowned. There was nothing there to make her warmer.

"Are you Rowena Ravenclaw?" a voice asked.

Rowena jumped at the voice before turning. A man stood in warm brown robes which covered him from head to toe. The only part you could see was the man's caramel coloured eyes and now pink pale nose. His mouth was covered, causing his former words to be hard to hear.

"That is me." Rowena nodded.

He nodded and stood beside her in silence. Rowena stared at the man clod in brown. He was staring at the grave before her and her curiosity got the best of her.

"What is it you need?" she asked.

The man looked at her in mock-surprise, as if he knew she would speak to him.

"You want to talk business in front of your father's grave?" he asked.

"Business?" she frowned before responding. "You should not have seeked me out at my father's grave to speak about business if you find it so offensive to speak about it by a grave."

"Ah, Rowena Ravenclaw, as witty as always." the man chortled.

"Ah, men, as unintelligent as always." Rowena retorted, turning back to the grave. "It's not like you know me anyway."

"Of course I know you!" the man exclaimed, grinning. "You were always top of the class."

Rowena glared at the man. If he was a muggle, trying to see if she was magical, she was not going to tell him a thing.

"What is your name?" she asked.

"Your bluntness is awe-inspiring." the man remarked. "I'll just give you a hint though. It starts with a 'G'."

Rowena narrowed her eyes at him. She was dangling his name in front of her like it was a steak in front of a lion.

"I'm not going to play any of your foolish games." she snapped.

"Not my fault your so touchy." the man muttered.

"Not my fault you spoke to me in front of my father's grave." Rowena said.

The man looked at her, shocked.

"But you said you were fine with it!"

"Did I? Funny, I don't seem to recall me saying that."

The man sighed before rubbing the back of his neck, or scarf in a literal sense.

"Alright, I'll get straight to the point." he said.

"Thank you." Rowena said

"I'm Godric. Godric Gryffindor. I was thinking of starting up a magical school led by powerful wizards so our world could grow and become connected." he explained in one breath. "I heard you were pretty powerful, and thought you could help me."

Rowena looked at him in shock.

"What?"

* * *

A smile fell onto her lips.

The witty memory.

"_May the wearer find wisdom and good wit with every word_."

* * *

Rowena was touring the grounds of the new castle. She debated on hanging out with the centaurs or going to speak to one of her fellow founders.

She stopped at the lake and stared out at the water. It was silent.

"Rowena!" a voice called.

Rowena recognized Godric striding towards her, grinning. His flaming red hair could easily be spotted at any distance she mused.

"Yes, Godric?" she asked.

"What are you doing out here?" he frowned.

"I was taking a walk." Rowena informed him.

"Oh, so you're a dog now?" Godric grinned.

Rowena smacked him.

"Alright!" Godric yelped. "Sorry! I'm sorry! Honestly, woman!"

"Shut it, you arrogant toad." Rowena snarled.

"Well, that's definitely better then what you called me last week." Godric muttered, rubbing his head.

"What are you doing here, anyway?"

"Oh! A man is here to discuss the custody of your brother, along with a will." Godric said brightly.

"What?"

"A man...is...here...to...discuss-" Godric began slowly.

He was then smacked.

"Oi!" he yelped. "I was only just trying to get you to understand!"

"I'm not deaf, nor am I slow. I was simply surprised."

"Fine, then go see your brother."

"What lives in the lake?" Rowena asked suddenly.

"Uh, not much." Godric told her, frowning. "Why-wait, you have to go!"

"But-"

"Shoo!"

Godric pushed Rowena towards the castle, much to her protest. She did not want to discuss her brother.

"Maybe we should get a squid." Rowena heard Godric muttered as she walked away.

She grinned.

* * *

"Miss Ravenclaw, I'm sure you know why you are here."

"Yes. I was informed."

"Good. Then you'll know your brother will be living here in a few days."

"What?! No. No, no, no. H-he can't!"

"And why not?"

"I-well, he hates me. He does."

"I assume you aren't aware of the fact that your brother has been sending you letters for the past two months, begging you to take him in?"

"Wait, what?"

Rowena stared at the man before her in surprise. The man raised an eyebrow at her as she stood with a slacked jaw.

"Whatever childish feud you had, should be left in the past. I believe it is time it was resolved."

The man told her.

"Now, moving on-"

"What do you mean 'letters'?"

"The letters that have been sent every single day. Now can we _please_ continue?"

Rowena sat down on the chair across from him.

"Your father has left this for you in his will. Your mother's diadem." the man said. "He has also left you half of his account. The other half goes to your brother."

Rowena now noticed a wrapped box beside the man. Her heart skipped a beat.

"Is that the diadem?"

The man glanced over to the box before nodding.

"Your father has left his mansion to your brother. Your father also wanted you to have..."

* * *

Rowena walked to dinner, staring at the wrapped up box in her arms. Inside was the diadem. The diadem her mother had once allowed her to play dress up with, all those years ago. With a sigh, Rowena opened the Great Hall doors, clutching the box to her chest.

"Rowena!" a voice exclaimed.

She spotted Helga, a blonde-haired blue-eyed girl, sitting at the front table with a grin upon her face. Rowena smiled at her before climbing the steps up to the head table.

"So, I had an idea..." a man with black hair said.

Rowena knew that Godric, who was sitting beside her, was going to respond with a comment that would no doubt start a fight, so she elbowed him. A resounding 'ow' echoed through the room.

"Do enlighten us, Salazar." Rowena said from her spot.

"Well," Salazar paused, giving Godric a slightly concerned look. "I was thinking we could all have our own favourite animals as a represented for our houses."

"I agree." Helga piped up, smiling. "I, for one, fancy the badger."

When Godric had felt that his body was not that badly injured, he opened the conversation up to another topic.

"Rowena, what's that box there?"

"Oh this?" Rowena asked, looking at her diadem. "It's my mother's old diadem."

"Really?" Godric frowned.

He tilted his head to the side ever so slightly.

"What's wrong with it?" Rowena asked, defensively.

"Oh, nothing." Godric said, eyes twinkling. "I just thought diadems weren't so rectangular."

It was then that the first face-palm was invented.

* * *

"_May the wearer learn from past wearer's mistakes._"

Rowena dropped her wand suddenly, quite tired from using so much magic. She sighed before placing the diadem back in it's case. Rowena felt the letters that had been carved into the box before smiling.

"Wit beyond measure, is the man's greatest treasure." she whispered.

"Rowena?"

Rowena turned to smile at the man who had called her name.

'Yes, he is a man.' she thought to herself. 'No longer the boy he had once been. In fact, I am no longer the foolish woman I once was.'

"Hello Willie." Rowena smiled.

"You know I don't like being called that." William said.

"I know. However, it also annoys you." Rowena grinned.

William scowled.

"I love you, Willie."

"I hate you too, Row."

Rowena smiled.

* * *

**A.N Here you all are. This is kind of all over the place. Sorry about that.**

**Since there were no prompts, it's only about the diadem.**

**The fic is about Rowena placing her memories to create the diadem's magical properties.**

**I hope you like Willie. In the beginning, he was seven and Rowena thirteen. Do the math :) Yes, I'm that cruel.**

**At the part where there was a warmth in Rowena's fingers, she was about to do wandless magic. Of course, she doesn't know how to do it just yet. Hence why she is still quite powerful.**

**I don't know if I ship Godric/Rowena, but I know I'm shippin' their friendSHIP. Haha! See what I did there? I hope you did. Anyway, thanks for reading!**

**Cheers,**

**Lupey**


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